The Sacred Heart Diet

The Sacred Heart Diet travels by a number of other names,
like the Cleveland Clinic Diet, or the Memorial Hospital Diet. It also looks a
lot like the Cabbage Soup Diet, for those who read carefully. None the less,
the Sacred Heart Diet has its share of fans and true believers. It is said that
you can lose 10-15 pounds in a week. Here's how:

First, you need to make the soup. This soup plays a
central role in the diet, so pay attention to the ingredients. You will thank
yourself later. This soup combines
stewed tomatoes, three onions, a can of fat-free beef broth, celery, green
beans (2 cans), carrots, green peppers and a packet of Lipton instant chicken
noodle soup mix. Some people also add cabbage (of course) or mushrooms. Yum! You mix it all
together, season to taste, and simmer until everything is tender. Make a big
batch, because you are going to need a lot of it.

This is a 7 day crash diet. Every day has different
rules, so you won't get bored by the routine, although we make no promises
about the soup.

On the first day, you get soup and all the fresh fruit you
want. Bananas are prohibited, though. They really hate on bananas. It may be
based on the high glycemic index of bananas, or just a childhood incident with
a zoo monkey. You are allowed to drink water, unsweetened fruit juice and black
coffee or tea.

Day two allows soup and infinite amounts of fresh
vegetables. Between the vegetables in
the soup and the fresh veggies on your plate, you will definitely get your
greens! You only get water to drink today.

For day three you get (you guessed it!) soup. Plus, you
get both fruits and vegetables. And drink at least 8 glasses of water. At this
point you are getting pretty well acquainted with the soup. Having a diet buddy
may be critical at this point.

On day four you get some more soup, but bananas make a
triumphant entry! You get up to three bananas and a glass of skim milk. Woo
hoo! This is the party day. Things are definitely looking up.

Day five starts to re-introduce you to meat. You get soup
(yay!) and up to 8 tomatoes. Plus you can eat all you want of skinless chicken,
extra-lean beef and fish. Life is starting to be worth living again.

Day six continues the road to recovery. You are allowed
soup and meat. Period.

Day seven is "taking it home" day. You are
allowed soup and brown rice. Complex carbohydrates have returned!
Congratulations!

Can this diet work for you? Every hospital, upon discovering that its name is associated with this diet, has issued a stern press
release distancing the institution from this diet. It is a crash diet, with extremely
low daily calorie content. You will lose
weight quickly, but the weight will rush back just as soon as your discontinue
the diet. The nutritive content of most days of this diet fails to meet
government guidelines, so your health is truly at risk. There are better diets to be found.